Where the political parties stand on Health.

By Dr Bill Rosenberg

Kaitiaki Hauora asked the political parties likely to be in Parliament where they stood on the three big Health priorities that we are campaigning for: adequate funding, honouring te Tiriti and keeping our health system public. 

We asked 11 questions covering access, an ongoing major boost in funding, expansion of the health workforce, honouring te Tiriti by funding and empowering Iwi-Māori Partnership Boards to meet their people’s health needs, an end to privatisation of our health services, and a  permanent independent mechanism to maintain a quality public healthcare system in future. 

Labour, Greens, Te Pāti Māori and Opportunity Party all responded. None of the Coalition parties replied – an attitude we have seen in many events and similar questionnaires this election.

All four parties that answered replied “Yes” to all our questions, with the exception of Opportunity Party on one question on bringing some privatised services back into public ownership. 

Our analysis of party policies however showed that Labour’s funding fell far short of the major boost needed, even if it provided the funding needed for the system to stand still in 2031 which was missing from its Fiscal Plan. But if it does fund that, consistent with its past record, it is somewhat ahead of National. On non-funding policies it was well ahead of the government parties. Since our analysis was completed, the Greens have announced a plan for a major boost to health funding over the next four years.

National’s funding was on paper similar to Labour’s but in fact provides no more what than we calculate is needed to “stand still” for the next four years – meaning remaining in the current state of crisis. Its small additional commitments had insufficient funding. 

Meanwhile New Zealand First’s sole promise was in a commendable area – prevention – but provided no practical recognition of the intensive needs of the health system nor funding, while ACT also promised a few additions, but support for ongoing long-term outsourcing to private hospitals, no commitment to “stand still” funding and funding its medicines offer by reductions to existing programmes. 

In all, the three must be judged by the result of their record in government: a health system that in almost daily headlines demonstrates its crisis state and inability to provide us with the health care we need.

We lay out for them what we recommend as the basis for a sound health system.